


maybe its the stars

by kireiki



Category: MXM (Band), Produce 101 (TV), Wanna One (Band)
Genre: 2park, Alternate Universe - Harry Potter Setting, Alternate Universe - Hogwarts, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Fluff, M/M, Rivalry, gryffindor!Woojin, i mean probably, ill try my best, jihoon's just really competitive, oh yeah youngmin & daehwi are cousins, slytherin!Jihoon, whipped!woojin basically
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-05-19
Packaged: 2019-03-17 19:14:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13665525
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kireiki/pseuds/kireiki
Summary: jihoon can ace every class except defence against the dark arts and at this point his position as top in his sixth year might be threatened by a certain gryffindorwoojin is a certain gryffindor who 'sucks' at herbology and has happened to beat jihoon for top student in their fifth year





	1. self praise is a disgrace

**Author's Note:**

> i always wanted to start a hp!au series so here it is~ below are just those who will appear/mentioned in this chapter/fic
> 
> gryffindor  
> -> woojin - 6th year  
> -> youngmin - 7th year
> 
> ravenclaw  
> -> jinyoung - 6th year
> 
> slytherin  
> -> jihoon - 6th year  
> -> daehwi - 5th year
> 
>  
> 
> UPDATE!! im rewriting this whole fic :-) its called what if i drive you crazy?  
> do support it instead^^

_why can't i do this_ jihoon murmurs to himself as he repeats the spell over and over, only succeeding in having small wisps of silver light emerge from the tip of his wand.

 _park jihoon, top in almost every subject in hogwarts, struggling to conjure a patronus charm._ jihoon sighs in exasperation at each small trail of silvery gas. _almost_

 _why?_ he wonders, is it that he doesn't have enough happy memories? are they not strong enough? he's followed everything the professors told him, looked up countless books in the library and each time he tried he got the same result as before.

he looked around and then did he notice how the room had become notably darker than when he had first stepped in, glancing at the clock—two hours ago. he heard a hum and remembered daehwi was in the classroom with him, perched on the edge of a desk in the classroom watching jihoon in half amusement and half boredom.

"ah welcome back hyung, now we either spend the next four hours here— _and miss dinner_ or we could go with my suggestion and i don't know, save our stomachs?" daehwi hints as he changes position, lying on the table and looking at jihoon upside down.

jihoon sets his wand down after what felt longer than two hours, face twisting into a grimace. "you want me to ask _park woojin_ , my _rival for top student_ , to tutor me in defence against the dark arts? he'll never let me live the rest of my life in peace" jihoon grumbles as he reaches for his bag, only to be beaten to it by daehwi who scoops it up and is already crossing the room toward the door

"yes hyung, in return you could tutor him in herbology! youngmin hyung told me he wasn't doing very well anyway" daehwi adds as he heads toward the hallway, "you're coming with me to the dining hall if you want your stuff back! i've spent two hours of my life in this stuffy classroom, i want to see jinyoungie's face and replenish my energy" 

daehwi is halfway out the door, turning left towards the dining hall when he lets out a small squeak and freezes on the spot. jihoon, not far behind, quickens his pace and steps out from the classroom only to come face to face with _the_ park woojin. who was leaning against the wall in the hallway, arms folded across his (broad) chest. _looking awfully fine_ and jihoon wanted to slap himself for having the thought.

jihoon then had the dawning realisation that he might've heard his and daehwi's conversation, and that he might be willing to take up the offer before jihoon even asked him. and he was slightly horrified at the fact that he didn't resent the idea. his suspicions were confirmed when woojin pushes off the wall, standing right in front of him, a smirk plastered on his face. 

"so you suck at defence against the dark arts huh?" he asks, more of a statement and jihoon swore he could hear mockery in his tone. 

he felt woojin's eyes trail from his hair down to his toes. jihoon tried not to feel scandalised. "i don't see how my academics should be of any concern to you, park." he retorts as he attempts to sidestep woojin and head toward the dining hall where he assumed daehwi had mysteriously disappeared to. only to feel a hand seize the edge of his robe. jihoon felt his heart stop for a millisecond and he froze, before immediately recovering and whirling round to hiss at his perpetrator. woojin lets go and lifts his hands up as if surrendering, "geez, _slytherin boy_. i'm only here to ask you a favour, or a trade i guess."

jihoon's eyebrows raised slightly, and woojin used the silence of continue.

"my herbology kinda sucks, and i heard you're the best in our year. and i'm the best in defence against the dark arts. like, the only one in our year who can conjure an incorporeal patronus. so i was wondering..." he trails off, jihoon caught on. taking his turn to smirk as he asks, amusement laced in his voice, "you're asking me to tutor you in your "kinda suckish" herbology? and what's with the self praise?" 

woojin rolls his eyes, "as if you weren't going to ask me yourself."

"self praise is a disgrace" jihoon retaliates in a sing song voice, spinning round to head toward the dining hall, pleased at meeting no resistance. "ill take you up on your offer. meet me at the library after dinner." a hint of a smile spreads across his face as he walks off, dark green robes trailing behind him.

he wonders where the excitement he's feeling is coming from.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> woojin and jihoon wrote "my love hoonie" and "my love chamsae" to each other 2park isnt dead i am
> 
> (thank you for reading~ next chapter will be up soon)  
> (i know the patronus charm is an advanced spell and its normal not to be able to conjure one but close an eye for the plot haha)


	2. baby steps

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> youngmin snorts, "you're so whipped for him, why not just ask him out already?" 
> 
> woojin hums and fiddles with a loose thread on his robe, "i don't know, i just get the feeling that he dislikes me in a way? like when we're in the same room i think he's glaring at me. but he agreed to help me with herbology so that's something right?"
> 
> youngmin nods, "except you don't even _need_ help in herbology, you just want a reason to see his pretty face more. anyway i don't see how anyone would hate you, woojin-ah. baby steps. go get him."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> happy chinese new year to those who celebrate!! i was bored so i wrote this chapter to pass time hahaha (i still have bio hw sighs)

jihoon is starting to wonder if agreeing to help woojin was an act of impulse, or going along with the flow. or worse, neither.

he's caught up in his thoughts, and doesn't notice daehwi who's been trying to get his attention since he walked into the dining hall but to no avail. as a last resort the younger jabs him in the side and jihoon almost chokes on his chicken, turning to glare at the younger hoping to have enough menace in his expression to convey _remember you abandoned me to that bastard not twenty minutes ago._

daehwi, unaffected, used to being the recipient of jihoon's glares, continued piling chicken onto his plate. "hyung your thinking face is enough to scare dementors away, to hell with patronus charms. how did it go?" 

jihoon, wondering why he bothers trying, shrugs. "you'll know. eventually"

"you agreed!?" daehwi gasps dramatically, almost dropping his fork.

as far as jihoon knew, he never said he did. not directly. but the younger somehow managed to reach that conclusion, which concerningly wasn't exactly wrong either. jihoon tries to dodge any more questions by changing the topic, "finish your chicken or i will"

only to have daehwi continue to interrogate him with a mouthful of chicken. "why _do_ you get so.. agitated over him anyway?"

jihoon stops chewing for a few moments, _agitation?_ he thinks, is that how he comes off as? when he first saw woojin in their first year, his aura screamed intelligence. and jihoon thought _for sure, he's a ravenclaw. all wit and individuality._ but he'd been sorted into gryffindor, and jihoon guessed his intuition was wrong and thought nothing of it. 

he did, to his dismay, find himself unconsciously noticing that he never saw woojin study, at least outside of dorms. never saw him in the library even though everyone has dropped by for some form of researching. he spends more time there than in the slytherin common room, and yet,

at the end of their first year in hogwarts, park woojin topped their year, beating jihoon by a _mere few points._

which admittingly, jihoon would be fine with. under normal circumstances. but this was far from normal. his rival didn't _need_ to study, which jihoon found absurd. he did, for a period of time, suspect if he cheated in exams. but he observed in their gryffindor-slytherin joint potions class that he brews potions perfectly. consistently. so that thought was certainly out the window.

does he hate woojin though? hate is a strong word. and jihoon can't possibly hate someone who he barely knows. but while jihoon is struggling to remember if you're suppose to stir slowly or vigorously after adding unicorn hair to the beautification potion, he looks over and sees woojin sprinkle the hairs into his cauldron and vigorously stirring without missing a beat. jihoon would be lying if he says he doesn't feel a surge of competitivity toward the younger. and a continually growing one.

"earth to jihoon hyung?" daehwi repeats. receiving no reaction, he blows into jihoon's ear causing the latter to jerk in surprise and bump his knee on the underside of the table, rattling some of the cutlery. jihoon whimpers in pain and wonders what went wrong as he brought up his dongsaeng.

he does manage to stutter out a "im not agitated" which obviously didn't convince daehwi one bit, but the latter let it slide. much to his relief.

when jihoon thought he could finally eat in peace, he is proven wrong when a shadow looms over to table. and he knows by the silhouette that it's woojin without having to turn around. wait what.

jihoon turns around, looking up and it is, not to his surprise, woojin. all arms crossed and red robes and darker red hair. jihoon glances toward daehwi who is gaping at the boy behind him, and some slytherins pause mid conversation to stare at the violator at their table. woojin, clearly unbothered by the stares, shoves his hands into his pockets. "ill be waiting," he smirks before turning round to head toward the library. leaving jihoon and half a dozen slytherins staring at him and the retreating figure. _gryffindors_ jihoon curses silently before gulping down his mug of pumpkin juice and following the younger park toward the library.

jihoon is out through the double doors of the dining hall just in time to glimpse the edge of a cloak fluttering round a corner. he quickens his pace and is rounding the corner only to bump into woojin—again. making him suspect that he knew jihoon would follow him. jihoon has mixed feelings on that thought.

"took you long enough" woojin comments, offending jihoon who couldn't help but point out that they weren't even at the library yet so in no way was he late. only to receive a chuckle from woojin and a "whatever you say, jihoonie" making him wonder since when were they on friendly terms.

they walked side by side toward the library. arms brushing occasionally as they walked and making jihoon's skin tingle at the contact. jihoon wonders why he can't function like a normal human being next to woojin.

woojin pushes open the library door and peeks inside, which jihoon can't help but find odd. woojin turns as if remembering jihoon was there next to him, let out an awkward laugh and scratched the back of his head. murmuring something that sounded vaguely like 'habits' before pushing the door open fully, ushering him in.  
 _odd._

jihoon glanced round the library, it was rather empty since most of the students are in the dining hall, and that the library closes in about an hour so they didn't have much time. 

jihoon chooses two seats against a bookshelf and plops down, woojin following suit. "what do you need help with?" jihoon glances at woojin and asks, one hand trailing along the bookshelf next to him, landing on the familiar moss green herbology textbook and sliding it out. woojin's eyebrows rise, "do you know where every book in this library is?" he asks as he flips through the textbook.

the corners of jihoon's mouth curves into a small smile. "maybe?" he replies, "now don't make me repeat my question."

woojin coughs once and considers the contents page of _flesh-eating trees of the world,_ before turning back to face jihoon, resting his cheek on his palm and a cheeky grin spreading on his face. jihoon tried not to notice how his adorable snaggletooth peeked out. "everything" he answers. jihoon suppresses a sigh, shaking his head but complies to the younger. _not_ because he was weakened by the snaggletooth.

***

at eight, jihoon and woojin part ways to return to their dorms. woojin makes his way toward gryffindor tower and is greeted by youngmin as he climbs through the painting. 

"ah! it's woojinie! how did it go?" youngmin asks, putting down his book. woojin drops onto the armchair opposite him, "he looks even cuter up close" woojin sighs. the way jihoon's lips curved after he passed woojin the textbook made his heart speed up, and he had faked a cough in hopes that the older couldn't hear the sound of his heart.

youngmin snorts, "you're so whipped for him, why not just ask him out already?" 

woojin hums and fiddles with a loose thread on his robe, "i don't know, i just get the feeling that he dislikes me in a way? like when we're in the same room i think he's glaring at me. but he agreed to help me with herbology so that's something right?"

youngmin nods, "except you don't even _need_ help in herbology, you just want a reason to see his pretty face more. anyway i don't see how anyone would hate you, woojin-ah. baby steps. go get him."

"hyung you're fucking cheesy, you know? how does donghyun hyung handle it?" woojin laughs when the older starts to ruffle his hair, "ya! at least _my_ love life is sorted out. who was the one who had to plant your little 'park woojin sucks at herbology' lie to my little cousin?"

woojin's still smiling as he attempts to neaten out his hair. 

he can't wait to see the slytherin boy again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry theres not a lot of action zzz this is kinda setting up the context but i hope you liked this chapter? ^-^
> 
> donghyun is a slytherin 7th year btw~


	3. the prettier the flower (the deadlier it is)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> taken off guard, woojin's cheeks turn a shade pinker. which makes jihoon bubble up with laughter. he stops when he notices woojin staring at him, all wide eyed, mouth slightly opened and jihoon is confused at his own sudden outburst. his hands instinctively reach up to cover part of his face, a habit when he's feeling embarrassed. because _as much as he hates to think it,_ woojin's expression was adorable and jihoon finds his head lowering, eyes drifting automatically to the grass blades at his feet because looking at the gryffindor boy seemed to do weird things to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2 chapters in 3 days? well my new year holiday's been _very_ exciting
> 
> curious question, do the students in the harry potter universe actually shower? aside from harry and the egg scene in goblet of fire do they actually? im dying to know
> 
> donghan and haknyeon are in the same year as jihoon (6th years) and they are his slytherin dormmates & 'pals' :D  
> ong is a slytherin 7th year  
> daniel is a gryffindor 7th year  
> (and theyre quidditch captains)  
> (an ioi member appears briefly as a head girl heh)

jihoon walks into the boys dormitory and flops straight onto his bed, exhausted from the long day he had. woojin had seemed to be absorbing everything jihoon was teaching him very well, yet jihoon can't help but feel something was amiss.

"ahh it's jihoon.. welcome back" greets the figure on the bed across of his. "how'd your study date go?" jihoon jerks up at the last part, wondering if he misheard. his eyes narrowed at donghan who was lying on his stomach and doing what looked like one of the puzzle games in the daily prophet. oblivious towards jihoon's glare.

"how did you-" jihoon started but was cut off by haknyeon on the poster bed next to his. "news spreads fast inside these walls, jihoon" he comments, eyes not leaving his copy of the wizarding newspaper.

"was it actually a date?" donghan asks, finally looking up.  
"we heard from daehwi," haknyeon added, twirling his quill and making a very exaggerated show of writing something. "he seemed very excited for you." _that little-_

jihoon rolls his eyes and flops back onto his bed face first, "it wasn't a date" he muttered, voice further muffled by the pillows.

donghan and haknyeon looked at each other, clearly disappointed by their dormmate's shitty love life. they gave jihoon words of consolation before going back to their daily prophet puzzles. as if mistaking jihoon's blatant exhaustion for wallowing in self pity. very nice of them.

but jihoon was too tired to feel any particular emotion toward that. so he settled for offence for the nth time that day.

***

jihoon got up the next morning on his own, surprisingly. mostly because he drifted off to sleep before nine, and that was three hours earlier than usual. jihoon couldn't remember the last time he woke up before their trusty dorm alarm clock, which is actually an ordinary music box that donghan enchanted to play obnoxiously loud music every morning. poor thing. 

the dim morning light reflected on the lake water outside their window and casted the room in a faint green glow. jihoon presumed that he had about two hours till his first lesson, seeing that the glow didn't engulf the room in the emerald green he was used to seeing when he woke up in the mornings. throwing off the covers, he grabs his uniform and heads toward the showers so he can catch up on revising the other subjects he missed while he was in the library last night.

after the revitalising shower, jihoon returns to his dorm to collect his schoolbooks. also receiving a "is that really you, jihoon?" from donghan and a "love changes people" from haknyeon, who were in disbelief that jihoon had gotten up before them. he glared at them before heading out the door toward the study hall, echos of "bye" and "have fun" trailing behind him.

which, was what jihoon would like to have happen if not for a certain gryffindor that he almost crashed into as he stepped out from the common room entrance. again.

"finally, i thought you were gonna sleep in again," woojin greets, and jihoon sees his snaggletooth peek through. he's tugging jihoon by the sleeve to follow him, and, stunned, jihoon allows himself to be guided by the younger. _wait what did he mean by 'again'?_ his brain starts working again and he halts, grabbing the gryffindor's wrist, causing him to stop and look back with a questioning look in his eyes. "wha-where are we going?" jihoon stammers and mentally slaps himself for sounding like an idiot.

"you helped me with herbology yesterday so isn't it my turn?" woojin asks, head cocking to the side innocently. jihoon's brain immediately resembled the expression to a puppy and then wondered if he should stop by the hospital wing before his first class.

he's being pulled by woojin again, except jihoon realises that he's still holding onto woojin's wrist and instinctively releases it as if it were burning. he notices woojin look back at him with.. hurt? or maybe it was just the dim lighting. yet something in his chest feels funny as he fell into step with the younger instead.

before jihoon could ask where exactly they were heading to, they've reached the main doors and woojin pushes them open. the sky was a clear blue and a light wind lifted the strands of their hair as the two make their way across the grounds. toward a space near the great lake, secluded and sheltered by the trees.

they find a spot facing the lake and jihoon makes himself comfortable by a tree, sitting at its base with his legs crossed and watching woojin as he takes his wand out of his pocket. jihoon tries not to notice how the sunlight makes woojin's tanned skin seem to shimmer bronze and illuminate the edges of his red hair. and how the colours of his uniform seemed to glow, _gryffindor colours._

jihoon knows he shouldn't look but he can't look away, and when he does its too late and they've accidentally lock eyes and the next moment they're looking away and jihoon's thinking _shit he's caught me staring_ and he's trying to stop the blood rushing to his face, his heart is beating so damn fast.

"s-so," woojin stutters, glances shifting to every spot except jihoon's face, "patronus charm"

trying to compose himself, "what's the memory you think of when you cast it?" jihoon asks, surprised at how steady his voice was in contrast to how he was anything but steady on the inside.

"oh, i think of my sister, when we were younger. of the time when we watched the quidditch world cup, and christmas with our parents, oh and halloween!" any hint of his previous discomfort vanished, and jihoon notices how his face seemed to soften at the memory. "apparently ill need a happier memory for a corporeal patronus," he adds with a sigh.

jihoon hums in response. guessing that woojin's familial memories are happier than his, seeing that he can barely form a patronus. and he can't help but feel slightly envious of woojin's relationship with his sister, while jihoon himself is an only child.

woojin begins to recite the spell and a cloud of semitransparent gas emerges from the tip of his wand, increasing in size and significantly fuller than jihoon's attempts of wisps of gas. his eyes widen in awe and he finds himself clapping once woojin dispels the patronus.

taken off guard, woojin's cheeks turn a shade pinker. which makes jihoon bubble up with laughter. he stops when he notices woojin staring at him, all wide eyed, mouth slightly opened and jihoon is confused at his own sudden outburst. his hands instinctively reach up to cover part of his face, a habit when he's feeling embarrassed. because _as much as he hates to think it,_ woojin's expression was adorable and jihoon finds his head lowering, eyes drifting automatically to the grass blades at his feet because looking at the gryffindor boy seemed to do weird things to him.

he feels something brush his shoulder and he jumps slightly as woojin settles down next to him, hugging his legs to his chest. their shoulders were touching and jihoon knew he should glare at him and reprimand him for something along the lines of _personal space_ but at the moment his head is spinning and he can't think properly and neither of them were pulling away and _damn he should really drop by the hospital wing later._

instead, jihoon is frozen in place and allowing himself to be in close proximity with the younger gryffindor once again. he wonders what happened to the jihoon from two days ago who would never have allowed this to happen.

"so, park jihoon, why do you like herbology so much?" woojin asks, still not looking jihoon in the face.

jihoon is relieved for the change of topic and his lips curve into a small smile, "because in herbology we learn about how the prettier the flower, the deadlier it is and i find that i can relate that to other contexts." he replies softly, stealing a glance at the younger and feeling him chuckling next to him. jihoon finds himself wishing against his will that they could stay like this longer.

they do stay like that for a few more minutes, a comfortable silence between them and the only sounds were the gentle currents of the great lake and the wind rustling the leaves above them. but woojin is the one who stands up first, and thats when jihoon felt a slight drop in his body temperature "class starts in twenty minutes, we better head back" he says, reaching a hand out to jihoon who finds himself taking it and _trying_ not to notice how woojin's biceps flex under his robe as he pulls jihoon up easily like he weighs nothing. he instinctively retracts his hand the moment he's on his feet because neither does he want his body to decide not to nor does he want woojin to get any more hints because _no way in hell is he going to fall for his rival._

yet he feels the same dull ache in his chest as before when woojin buries his hands into the pockets of his robes and the two walk back to hogwarts castle in a silence that jihoon can't help but feel was very different than before.

he does stop by the hospital wing only to get shooed out because _"jihoon there's nothing wrong with you now get to your class"_

***

after parting ways with jihoon, woojin heads back to the gryffindor common room because his first lesson starts at ten and he's feeling confused, therefore doubtful he'll be getting anything productive done before then. partially because jihoon was heading the complete opposite direction from the transfiguration classroom and no woojin did not memorise his timetable. did not.

he steps through the portrait and sees daniel seated on the floor, his back towards him and seeming to be preoccupied with polishing his broomstick. woojin makes his way over to him, seeing that the only other person in the room was gryffindor's head girl kim chungha, face scrunched up with concentration on writing her foot long essay. woojin thought it would be best not to bother her.

he crouches down beside daniel and the latter pauses and looks up before smiling at him, "hey woojin"

"hey hyung, getting ready for your quidditch match? y'all are up against slytherin next right?" woojin asks.

daniel nods, a small smile forming on his lips, "seongwoo's ankle's almost completely healed so he'll be playing this game." woojin can't help but notice how his voice softened at seongwoo's name, and he wonders if that's how he sounded when talking about the (confusing) slytherin boy.

"ah that's good, but you better not lose to him" woojin grins.

daniel drops his polishing cloth and puts his hand to his chest in mock offense, "i am not that weak willed, park woojin. who do you think i am?"

woojin laughs and lightly slaps his arm, "i'm betting on you, hyung." he stands back up and is halfway toward the staircase to the boys' dorms when an idea pops into his head, "hey hyung, are you done using my cloak?"

"aren't you wearing it?" daniel jokes, earning an eye roll from the younger, "alright alright, it's in my room. bottom of the trunk."

"okay thanks hyung!" woojin calls before climbing up the staircase to the seven years' room. 

woojin throws opens the door, forgetting to knock and thus surprising the other occupant in the room, youngmin. "woojin! what are you doing here? and how did it go?" 

knowing what youngmin was implying, woojin can't help but sigh, "i don't know, he's impossible to read." _i'm getting mixed signals and it's driving me crazy_ "anyway i'm taking my cloak back from daniel hyung" woojin adds as he unlatches the trunk at the foot of daniel's bed and digs through its contents.

youngmin's eyebrows quirk up in realisation, "ohh not this again," he sighs, shaking his head, "i don't know what you're planning this time but be careful." 

"who said i was planning anything?" woojin asks, fingers finding the familiar dark coloured cloth peeking through articles of clothing. he pulls it out and tucks it under his arm, "see ya hyung" woojin adds with a small wave and dashes out of the room to head back to his.

he hopes his plan will work

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if youre an avid potterhead then you may or may not know where this is heading? & about all the staring i think its because i was watching twilight while writing this because i was _that_ bored pls save
> 
> jihoon's just being stubborn and playing hard to get cmon woojin you can do it
> 
> ps the bit where jihoon talks about herbology is inspired from [this headcanon](http://slytherin-headcanons.tumblr.com/post/170775178697/456-many-slytherins-thoroughly-enjoy-herbology)


	4. pink tacky tea house

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> sorry for not updating in,, months?? >< like everyone else, ive been busy with midyears :< and i have a national exam the day before jihoon's bday so i probably won't be writing until then :(( to those who have been keeping up with this fic: thank you ^-^
> 
> here's some info you'll need for this chapter i guess? i don't think i clarified it in the last chapter oof
> 
> -youngmin: gryffindor *also daehwi's cousin  
> -donghyun: slytherin  
> -guanlin: ravenclaw (5th year, same as hwi)
> 
> i realise i change perspectives a couple of times this chapter so every lil *** means a new perspective :-)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> as far as 'canon' gets, jihoon's a slytherin @ whoever gave him slytherin robes during the fansign: thank 
> 
>  
> 
> \+ idk what i’m doing so here’s endless 2park flirting(?) + tooth rotting fluff + a feeble attempt at mystery which might be pretty obvious but let’s pretend it isn’t (i miss 2park interactions esp after battle trip that i’m feeding myself at this point)

jihoon met up with daehwi in the dining hall for lunch, and found the latter sulking while absently stirring his soup. not like this has never happened before. 

“what are you overthinking this time, hwi?" jihoon asks, settling down across him and helping himself to the steak.

daehwi looks up, "it's-"

"bae jinyoung?" 

"yeeessssss" daehwi whines, pushing his bowl of soup away from him for more space to sulk. jihoon scoops some of the soup up, grimacing at the coldness of the liquid.

"like i said, you're probably overthinking. remember that incident with ravenclaw's head girl?" jihoon recalls, taking out his wand and tapping it on the bowl, instantly heating the liquid in a blast of steam.

daehwi reddens. "shut up, hyung. your progress with park woojin isn't much to be proud of either."

"what do you mean? he's picking up on herbology really well-"

"that's not what i meant"

"then wha-"

"jihoon! daehwi!" the two turn towards the owner of the voice, and spot seongwoo jogging toward them.

"hey hyung" daehwi greets, "good luck on your match later! we'll be there, won't we, hoonie hyung?" daehwi adds, attempting to kick jihoon's leg under the table only for his foot to be caught between both of jihoon's.

"yes, of course we'll be there," jihoon says, flashing his signature eye smile, cheekbones and all, "all the best hyung~" he adds as he squeezes daehwi's foot, earning a yelp from the younger.

"thanks guys," seongwoo grins, ruffling their hair, "by the way, jihoon, is it true you're dating a gryffindor?"

jihoon's jaw drops, daehwi snickers. "what? no! we're just..." he pauses. _what exactly are they?_ jihoon wonders. _friends? rivals?_ "um. study buddies." jihoon cringes at the word. seongwoo snorts, clearly unconvinced, "sure, keep telling yourself that," he adds as he turns to leave, "remember to cheer for me~" he winks. jihoon glares at the back of his retreating figure.

"i hope he loses."

"he's in our house, hyung."

***

woojin unclasps his trunk and dumps the cloak inside, shutting it right as the dormitory door opened, revealing hyeongseob decked out in house colours. "oh woojin! great timing, are you gonna watch the match?" 

woojin grins up at him, "i wouldn't miss it." he stands up and reaches for the scarf on the bedside table when an idea pops into his head, "by the way, when's our next hogsmeade visit?"

hyeongseob thinks for a moment, "should be this weekend, why?"

woojin wraps his scarf round his neck, "no reason."

 

in the hallway, woojin quickens his pace and bumps into the boy—on purpose, of course. "hey, park." woojin greets.

"what do you want, park," jihoon side eyes him.

"i didn't know they knew each other," he hears hyeongseob whisper to daehwi a couple steps behind, the latter replying with something along the lines of _it's a long story_ and _shut up they might start unknowingly flirting again._

"off to watch the match, right?" woojin asks, "wanna bet?"

"slytherins are an ambitious lot, we don't lose easily."

"but gryffindors are daring."

jihoon tilts his head sideways, as if considering. "what's on the line?"

"if gryffindor wins, you let me show you something, if slytherin wins..." he thinks for a moment, "i'll do you a favour."

"deal." jihoon replies, surprising woojin. _that was easy?_ he waits a few seconds for the catch, but none came, "wait, seriously?"

jihoon furrows his brows at him, "what'd you expect?" woojin shrugs, and they walk in silence.

until jihoon is the one who breaks it.

"you want to study at the library tonight? just the two of us." _as if it hadn't always just been the two of them._ woojin's eyes widen a fraction in surprise, but soon disappear into crescent moons when he grins, snaggletooth and all, 

"yes!"

***

the four of them part at the stands to head toward their house sides, woojin and hyeongseob to the gryffindor, jihoon and daehwi to slytherin. the moment the gryffindors are out of ears' range, daehwi begins his interrogation. "so, hyung, anything you'd like to tell me?" 

not looking at the younger, "what and why do i have to tell you?"

he feels daehwi glaring at him, and he can't help the amused smile that forms on his lips.

"because i've been your best friend for.. five years?"

"ah.. yeah that."

"just don't be as gross as youngmin hyung and donghyun hyung"

jihoon recalls—against his will—the time when he and daehwi were on their way to the dining hall for dinner. only to find a particular intruder at their table. _im youngmin_ was seated at the _slytherin_ table. donghyun too, was there, though not really sitting at the table, but on the gryffindor's lap. and the latter had been feeding him strawberries, up until the moment daehwi let out a scandalised shriek. several awkward seconds and jihoon trying to keep a straight face later, the encounter ended with youngmin giving donghyun a small peck on his forehead before returning to his table, and a rather embarrassed daehwi and donghyun.

jihoon snorts in amusement at the memory. but instead, he says, "really, hwi? i just want to catch up on potions homework." daehwi raised a brow in response, but didn't say anything.

 

slytherin was leading by fifty-thirty, and the crowd was on edge, anticipating which seeker will catch the snitch. the pale gold sphere was only spotted a couple times throughout the duration of the match, and seemed to vanish once either seeker was within a couple feet. seongwoo's latest strategy had been tailing daniel—as discreetly as possible—from a higher viewpoint, in the hopes that he spots the snitch before his opponent. however, the gryffindor, seeming to sense the missing player from his field of vision, glances up and immediately locks eyes with seongwoo, which jihoon knew in other situations, would make seongwoo pause in his step. except the next moment daniel's steered his broom and was heading straight toward seongwoo, red robes billowing behind him. the latter freezes in surprise, but daniel manoeuvres swiftly past him to a spot a couple metres behind. and when he turns back, he opens his palm, where resting on it was the glittering golden sphere.

the crowd erupted into cheers and applause. gryffindors whooping, and though a few of the slytherins murmured among themselves, majority were clapping politely. jihoon looked up toward the two seekers, who were shaking hands and after a few exchanged words, went in for a hug. and they might've exchanged a few more words before dipping down to fly toward the exits. they seemed to be in their own world.

then it dawns on him, he lost the bet to woojin.

 

after dinner, woojin heads toward the library, and is not surprised to find jihoon already sitting at their usual spot, glances switching between the potions textbook and the foot long essay due in two days. the older didn't hear woojin approach, concentrating on his essay. so woojin, brave gryffindors he is, comes up behind jihoon and grabs his shoulders. "boo!" he whispers, and giggles as jihoon puts a hand to his chest and glares at him.

"yo," he greets as he sets his books on the table, jihoon pushing his books aside to make more space.

"you're a terrible person, you know that?" jihoon asks, but there's a small smile forming on his lips. 

"but you're friends with me anyway," woojin replies, and jihoon turns away so he can't see his reaction.

the two do their work in silence, although woojin notices that jihoon hadn't written anything down in the last ten minutes. and was absently twirling his quill on his hand. 

"need some help?" woojin asks, looking over at the parchment, "ohh this part." he reaches into his book bag and pulls out a leather bound book. _magical herbs and fungi._ jihoon's eyes widen at the sight of it.

"wait, it's with you? i asked the librarian if i could borrow it, but she wasn't able to find it. she had checked the records, but couldn't find it in the library," his fingers brush along the spine of the book, "were you the one who borrowed it?"

woojin was caught completely off guard, and he hoped it didn't show on his face when he replied, "um, yes." _not a complete lie._

jihoon eyed him suspiciously, and woojin hoped he would believe him. he wondered if the library records were enchanted, not like anyone would steal a library book. _would_ people steal a library book? how the book ended up in woojin's possession wasn't _necessarily_ an act of 'stealing', he was just borrowing it. though it likely wouldn't show up on the records. because—well, jihoon would find out eventually.

though he would be lying if he said that the gaze wasn't doing weird things to him.

"w-what?" he asks, self consciously.

"hm. nothing," jihoon replies, and they fall back into a comfortable silence.

***

"hogsmeade," woojin declares suddenly.

"what?" 

"gryffindor won the match. so the thing i want to show you, hogsmeade." 

the past few trips jihoon had to hogsmeade were mostly just him and daehwi. sometimes they'd tag along with other slytherins, sometimes they'd bump into youngmin and donghyun and become third and fourth wheels. but what jihoon remembers most significantly is daehwi's head whipping left and right in search of a certain small faced student. when will that boy ever.

"i guess that's fine."

"great! it's a date then~"

_wait what_

 

daehwi didn't prod jihoon further on why he was being ditched on their next hogsmeade visit, but then again he had seemed pretty spaced out. jihoon could only think of a few reasons why.

 

a week later, woojin was waiting by the main door, hand running through his hair and jihoon can't help the weird feeling in his chest at the glances the other students were giving woojin. and as if he sensed jihoon approaching, he looks up and smiles, snaggletooth peeking out. "hey," he greets as he falls into step and they make their way to the main gate.

"hey, where to first?" jihoon asks. it was the time of year when the temperature starts to drop and most of the students around them donned sweaters and cloaks. "could we stop by scrivenshaft's? i need some new quills. after that, butterbeer?" woojin proposes. cool weather is always a great time for butterbeer, and jihoon hadn't had some in a while. so he nods enthusiastically, hair whipping around his face. woojin laughs at his messy hair, and he reaches up a hand to pet it down. making jihoon freeze and take a peculiar interest in the dirt they stood on.

"okay, lets go" woojin announces once he's done brushing through jihoon's hair. which he liked the feeling of very much. it wasn't out of the ordinary for jihoon to like people touching his hair, in fact, he liked a lot. and he can't help but particularly enjoy the feeling of woojin's large hands on his head. the same hands which were reaching for his own, and the next moment woojin's pulling him out through the gates. 

jihoon could hear the little voice at the back of his mind asking _what are you getting yourself into, park jihoon?_ he brushes off the mental question as he finds his hand shifting and their fingers slide into interlacement. jihoon notices woojin’s fingers are about a nail longer than his, and he looks up just in time to see woojin’s gaze turn away from their hands. he wonders what the younger is thinking.

 

“isn’t that your kid?” woojin’s asks as they leave scrivenshaft’s, each carrying a bag of parchment, quills and ink pots. jihoon looks at the direction he’s pointing to, and sure enough, he spots the purple head easily among the crowd of students a couple shops down, side toward them. except he’s not alone. daehwi tilts his head up to say something in a black-haired boy’s ear. who shifts slightly, allowing light to catch on the edge of a blue crest on his robe. jihoon thinks it may be guanlin, although he doesn’t recall the ravenclaw being so ‘short’.

“huh. wonder who he’s with”

“scared of being replaced?”

jihoon casts a glare at him, and the latter makes an exaggerated show of flinching.

***

the three broomsticks was packed, much to no one’s surprise. and no way was woojin stepping into the hog’s head. which made it quite impossible for them to find an empty table. fortunately, those weren’t the only drink shops in hogsmeade. unfortunately, what’s left was _that place._

“park jihoon you can’t be serious,” woojin says as they stand outside madam puddifoot’s tea shop, he can make out the frilly pink interior and lace napkins from outside and cringes. “and i thought i wouldn’t be caught dead coming in here.” he murmurs as jihoon pushes open the door, and the bell starts playing a tuneful tinkle, welcoming them. jihoon moves toward a seat near the window, but woojin grabs his wrist and pulls him deeper into the shop. he hopes no one from his house will see him here.

“why? because it’s pink and tacky? because it’s _cute?_ ” jihoon teases, as they take their seats furthest away from the door. woojin can tell he’s enjoying this. “you’re cute too..” he pouts, and lips curve up when jihoon’s cheeks turn as pink as the walls.

they order two cups of tea, and jihoon transfigures the lace napkins into doves and back. woojin’s brows raise, impressed. as far as woojin knew, madam puddifoot’s was the tackiest shop that ever existed. sickly sweet decorations and a cluttered mess of furniture. _and_ woojin noticed, all the patrons were couples. he wonders if jihoon knew, but the latter was in his own world, preoccupied stroking the head of his dove—no, napkin.  
woojin wonders how he ended up here.

madam puddifoot arrives with two large heart-shaped mugs of tea, steam curling over the edges. it vaguely reminds woojin of patronus charms.

jihoon picks up his mug with both hands and blows the liquid, fogging up his glasses. amused, but still a decent person, woojin reaches over and removes his glasses, folding them and setting them on the table. the older smiles at him over the mug as he sips it slowly, humming in approval. “this is pretty good, i almost expected it to be as sweet as, well, the place itself."

woojin cocks his head, “it’s your first time coming here?” 

jihoon mimics the action, “well i’ve certainly never been on a date before, much less one here.”

woojin’s jaw drops, _impossible. with a face like that?_ jihoon’s chewing his lip and his cheeks are reddening again, woojin notices they’ve been turning red more often. must be the weather.

“shush it, park woojin.” you’ve probably been on a gazillion times more dates than me.

“yeah i have,” and he notices jihoon deflate slightly, “because a gazillion times zero is still zero, so i guess i have.” jihoon looks up at him in astonishment, before a pfft escapes his lips and he’s trying hard not to smile at the table. woojin can’t help the smile that forms either. both at the (awful) joke he made and the sight of the cute boy sitting across him, the cute boy who’s never been on a date despite a face which could pass him off as part veela. the cute boy whose first ‘date’ is with him.

they spend the rest of the hour sipping semi sweet tea while talking about their classes and houses.

***

“how’s that for your first date?” woojin asks. they’re leaving the tea shop and walking along the side road off high street, rather empty since the rest of the students were on the main street.

jihoon considers, “it was... nice” he replies, nose tinged pink from the cold, but not cold enough to condense their breath. he notices woojin smiling to himself, satisfied. 

the two head back to hogwarts, though not before stopping by the three broomsticks to grab some butterbeer to take back with them. only then did jihoon feel a heavy ache in his chest, when for the past few hours at hogsmeade it was filled with a lightness. which _might_ have been aroused by...

woojin returns with two butterbeer bottles and hands one of them to jihoon, “thanks for coming here with me.” he says softly, free hand scratching the nape of his neck.

“it’s not like i had much of a choice.” after all, he _had_ lost the quidditch bet.

“you were.. free to decline if you really didn’t want to come,” the younger replies, still not looking at him. jihoon surprisingly never once felt dread toward coming to hogsmeade with woojin. he’s also surprisingly resisting the urge to make the younger look at _him_ instead of the ground.

“hey. i had fun, alright?” woojin looks up at the genuineness in jihoon’s voice. and it’s taking all of jihoon’s willpower to hold the gaze. “let’s come back next time,” jihoon proposes, biting his lip to keep woojin’s contagious smile from spreading to him.

 

“how was hogsmeade, hyung? how was madam puddifoot’s? did her pink confetti end up in your drinks?” daehwi bombards jihoon with questions before he even sat down in the dining hall.

“hogsmeade was great, hwi, and madam puddifoot only throws pink confetti on valentine’s day,” jihoon replies, not bothering on asking where he had heard of their outing. nothing goes around in hogwarts without lee daehwi knowing. “rather, how was _your_ hogsmeade trip?” he throws the question back. caught off guard and probably not expecting jihoon to know, daehwi stammers, “u-um. great, i guess?” jihoon notices the tips of his ears turning pink. he raises his brow and returns to his food with a smirk.

***

“woojin is that you?” was what woojin was greeted with the moment he climbed though the portrait. youngmin was sprawled on a chair, a book dangling between his fingers. confused, woojin replies, “yes it’s me?”

“are you sure about that? i doubt the park woojin i know would ever step foot into a tacky pink tea house.”

woojin blushes, “how-“

“you really should be aware of your surroundings,” youngmin chuckles. “donghyunnie especially likes madam puddifoot’s pastries. did that slytherin boy’s face captivate you _that_ much?”

when woojin only blinks in surprise and doesn’t answer, youngmin sighs. “ask him out already. this is getting painful to watch.” woojin’s mind drifts to the trunk at the foot of his bed. maybe.

maybe he should do it soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when i'm done with this story and before my heart lets you go (shameless promo) i'll start on daehwi’s hogwarts story wink wonk small preview in this chapter kekeke
> 
> rhymer pls adopt jihoon into brandnew
> 
>  
> 
> edit 28/6: ill likely be abandoning this work and rewriting with a couple other elements since im not too satisfied with the flow of this story^^ still 2park, still hogwarts, do look forward to it instead~


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